The Sports Business Journal featured the television ratings of several teams, including the Reds, in an article yesterday:

MLB’s other strong local media stories include the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals, who have posted their highest ratings on record. In addition, the Pittsburgh Pirates are experiencing their highest local TV numbers since 1997.

In Cincinnati, the Reds have parlayed their strong start on the field into the league’s second-highest local TV rating. Reds games have averaged an 8.45 rating on FS Ohio, up 8 percent from last year.

“Detroit and Cincinnati are great baseball markets, and the Tigers and Reds have given their fans a reason to cheer — and to tune in,” said Jeff Krolik, executive vice president for Fox Sports Networks. “Local ratings are up in many of our markets, which speaks to the overall strength of the game.”

This was sent to me by someone from FS Ohio, so this probably isn’t what she had in mind, but what this makes me think is that the Reds should be renegotiating their television contract. Maybe they could even look into launching their own network, like the Yankees and other teams have. There’s no sense leaving money on the table, especially when there are contracts like Joey Votto’s to pay.

Entertainment Weekly reported today that TLC has ordered 17 episodes of a Pete Rose reality show.

All Cincinnati Reds–and most baseball–fans know of Rose as the one-time baseball star who bet on baseball and then was banned from baseball when he got caught. The banning, of course, kept him out of the Hall of Fame, despite his holding the all-time hits record.

So what will TLC be showing?

With a working title of Pete Rose and Kiana Kim Family Project, the show will follow the 71-year-old Rose and his thirtysomething model fiancée Kiana Kim (who has posed for Playboy) through their daily lives as they try to blend their families.

That title’s quite a mouthful. I’m betting that changes before it airs.

I remember seeing Rose with a picture of his Playboy model girlfriend a few years ago. I’m surprised they’re still together.

“We’re not a traditional family,” says Kim. “We are a total modern-day family, mixing the cultures, the ages, the different backgrounds together. I didn’t even know who Pete Rose was when I first met him. It’s kind of a crazy story, but at the core of every family is love and it’s what TLC wants to show.” Quips Rose: “We’re just a normal family with 4,200 hits.”

Technically, it’s 4,258, if you count Pete Rose, Jr.’s contribution.

There is one quote from Rose that strikes me as a little sad.

I’m not in the Hall of Fame because I screwed up. It’s not Bud’s fault. It’s not [former commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti’s] fault. It’s not Mike Schmidt’s fault or Johnny Bench’s fault. I’m the one who screwed up. And if I’m ever given a second chance, all I can tell you is: I won’t need a third.”

Granted, Rose has always had a streak of saying whatever he thinks has the best chance of getting him that second chance, but at 71, it’s starting to feel like he’s getting more desperate. I’m not sure that a reality show is part of the path to that second chance, but Rose still has to make a living.

And in case you were worried about the show being tasteless, like Hugh Hefner’s The Girls Next Door, let Rose calm your fears: “It’s not going to be classless — like it seems like a lot of reality shows aren’t really reality, but our reality show is going to be funny, entertaining, and real.” That’s what I think of when I hear Rose’s name: classy.

Of all the people you might have thought would take Joey Votto’s roster spot while he’s on the DL with that arthroscopic knee surgery, I bet you didn’t consider a right-handed pitcher.

But John Fay says that Todd Redmond (the guy the Reds just traded Paul Janish for) is coming up today to give the Reds some flexibility if Johnny Cueto’s start tonight doesn’t go very long. Cueto, as you may recall, was pushed back because of a blister he developed before his first post-All-Star-break appearance.

Bronson Arroyo was less than stellar last night, necessitating that the bullpen take over for 6 innings, so adding a little pitching depth maybe isn’t a bad idea. Cueto is still slated to start, so the streak of having only the same 5 guys start every game will continue.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Diamondbacks	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	13	0
Reds	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	0

Boxscore

The Reds dropped the series opener to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, 5-3.

Bronson Arroyo was Badroyo last night. He pitched only 3.0 innings, but allowed all 5 of the Diamondbacks’ runs in that amount of time, all earned, on 8 hits and a walk. It was a sad trombone kind of night for the Reds’ righty.

The bullpen was good, though. Alfredo Simon put in as much time as Arroyo but allowed 0 runs on 3 hits. Bill Bray put in a scoreless inning, as did Jose Arredondo and Logan Ondrusek.

Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t string quite enough together to overcome the early-inning deficit. Incredibly, Drew Stubbs was the big producer, going 2-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI. Let that sink in for a moment.

Chris Heisey and Brandon Phillips also had 2-hit nights, and Phillips supplied the other RBI. But they’re going to have to do better than that with Joey Votto out for the next month after arthroscopic surgery to be done on his knee today.

The loss brings the Reds record to 50-39. Fortunately for the Reds, the Pirates lost too, meaning the Reds keep their 1-game lead in the NLC. Tonight they try again against the Diamondbacks as the series continues in Cincinnati. Johnny Cueto (10-5, 2.39 ERA) will hopefully be back from his blister problem enough to defend against Trevor Bauer (1-1, 5.40 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.